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From: mac@uvacs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: pasts
Message-ID: <1123@uvacs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 12-Jan-84 12:32:25 EST
Article-I.D.: uvacs.1123
Posted: Thu Jan 12 12:32:25 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Jan-84 04:37:33 EST
Lines: 10

Passe' simple

Interesting about the disappearance of the simple past in French.  The same
thing is true in German -- the praeterit tense (simple past) is considered
literary for most verbs.  This may be to avoid the irregularities that are
apparent in the English.  English may be peculiar in its retention of the
simple past.  What about other modern IE languages?

I was once told that extensive use of the praeterit was more typical of the
East European Germans.